AN ACT TO ALLOW CITIES AND TOWNS IN DARE COUNTY TO MAKE
STREET IMPROVEMENTS AND ASSESS WITHOUT PETITION.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

Section 1. Chapter 160A of the General
Statutes is amended by adding a new Article to read:

"ARTICLE 10A.

"Street Assessments Without Petition.

"§ 160A-293.1. Assessments for street improvements;
petition necessary.-(a) In addition to any authority which is now or hereafter
may be granted to a city by this Chapter or in its Charter, a city is hereby
authorized to make street improvements and to assess the total cost thereof
against abutting property owners in accordance with the provisions of this
section.

(b) The council may order
street improvements and assess the costs thereof against the abutting property
owners, exclusive of the costs incurred at street intersections, according to
one or more of the assessment bases set forth in Article 10 of Chapter 160A of
the North Carolina General Statutes without the necessity of a petition, upon
the finding by the Board as a fact that the street improvement project does not
exceed 2,000 linear feet, and

(1) such street or part
thereof is unsafe for vehicular traffic,and it is in the public interest to
make such improvements, or

(2) that it is in the
public interest to connect two streets or portions of a street already
improved, or

(3) that it is in the
public interest to widen a street or part thereof, which is already improved,
provided, that assessments for widening any street or portion of street without
a petition under this subdivision shall be limited to the cost of widening and
otherwise improving such streets in accordance with the street classification
and improvement standards established by the Town's thoroughfare or major
street plan for the particular street or part thereof to be widened and
improved under the authority granted by this Article.

(c) For the purpose of
this Article, the term 'street improvement' shall include grading, regrading,
surfacing, resurfacing, widening, paving, repaving, the acquisition of
right-of-way, and the construction or reconstruction of curbs, gutters and
street drainage facilities.

"§ 160A-293.2. Procedure.-In
ordering street improvements without a petition and assessing the cost thereof
under authority of this Article, the Board shall comply with the procedure
provided by Article 10 of this Chapter, except those provisions relating to the
petition of property owners and the sufficiency thereof."

Sec. 2. This act applies only to incorporated
cities and towns within Dare County.

Sec. 3. This act is effective upon ratification.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this
the 4th day of May, 1981.